Chapter 21- "Sorry, Duty Calls."

I let out a frustrated sigh. It has been almost a week since we stopped shooting. Word was out about the split and terrible rumours about Mira and I were already doing the rounds, the worst one being about her being pregnant with my child.

I wondered how she might be reacting to the tabloids. I brushed a worried hand through my hair and went downstairs. On the second last stair, the smell of scrambled eggs tantalised my olfactory senses. I smiled. My mom was the only one unaffected by the scandals around.

I went into the kitchen and jumped a little to sit on the counter. "Smells wonderful. Did you make toast along with it?"

"Oh good, you're up. Yes, I did along with your favourite- guess what?"

"Berry jam toast?" I laughed.

"God no, that's the most disgusting kind of jam they can ever make. No, I made buttered toast with scrambled eggs and chicken nuggets. I made them myself. Not those unhealthy frozen ones." She scrunched up her face and chuckled.

I laughed along with her. After a long time, my mother seemed like she was going back to her old self. Happy. Adapting. Being her love radiating self. For the first time after my father's death, she looked like she was ready for better things. To move on.

Before I could feel the rising bubble of happiness in my chest, another thought struck me. Move on. Just like Mira had. From Rhea. Gaurav. Me. The movie. She deserved to be happy. And maybe that happiness came from not being near any of us.

The doorbell rang. I didn't move. My mom tapped my tense shoulder. "Raghav? Is everything alright?" Coming out of my reverie, I shook my head. "Yes. Yes, of course." My mom gave me a scrutinising look, not believing a word of what I had said.

The doorbell rang again. Anxious to get away from her suspicious gaze, I said out loud, "My God, is there no one in this house who can answer the door?" I hurried towards the door at the same time as my housekeeper.

"I am so sorry, Sir. I'll get the door." He apologised. I turned to look at my mother who was still waiting by the frying chicken nuggets. "Uh no, actually, I can get that. Thank you." I said in despair and pulled the mahogany door open.

A man, dressed impeccably in a white shirt and silver matt trousers greeted me. "Good morning, Sir. This is your official invite to Ms. Hailey George's annual bash on the 20th of this month. The invite permits you to bring a plus one. Dress code and timings are in the invitation. We hope to see you for a night of fun and laughter." The man said in one go.

He handed me a gold embroidered, black envelope which was so heavy, it might as well have a baby elephant in it. I took it from him and smiled. "Thank you. I'll be there for sure."

He bowed and walked away towards his car, probably to deliver another hundred invites. Hailey's parties were always the next big thing in Bollywood. And the horrible part?

They are always swarmed with paparazzi.

Which at this point of time was hardly welcome. As if on cue, my phone started ringing. Fishing it out of my pocket, I saw Dhruv's name flashing across the screen. I let out a deep breath, already knowing why he was calling. I picked it up on the fourth ring, bracing myself.

"Hey Dhruv. Any word from Mira?"

"You mean her lawyers? You won't believe this Raghav but she really did find a new manager and a whole set of lawyers within two days. I simply don't understand what went wrong with you guys."

I cleared my throat. I know what happened. Heck, I was the reason. Why do I always mess things up?

"Raghav? You still there?" Dhruv asked and I realised I must have gone silent for a while.

"Um yeah, yes, of course. It's just that Rhea has been AWOL and Gaurav isn't receiving any of my calls. And truth be told, I didn't really personally go check up on him. Figured he might need time talking to me. You know, about um, the thing."

"Well, if you guys must keep things private, I hope it's for the best. I've been talking to the producer. We will be going around to Mira's manager's office. You want to come with b-?"

"Absolutely not!" I blurted out.

"Sorry?"

"Oh no no, what I meant was absolutely cool. But I can't make it. Um, I um, have a um, de- dentist's appointment, yes."

"Oh okay then. Also Raghav, I believe you have received Hailey's invitation, yes?"

"Yes, uh yes, I have, Dhruv. Why?"

"Because it is absolutely non negotiable that you go. We have reason to believe that Mira has received her invite as well. If things don't go well with the manager today, Hailey's party is the only way we can get the shoot back on track."

"But-"

"No ifs and buts Raghav. Either we do this or you watch the whole project slip out of your hands. The producer's not exactly pleased with the lead cast after the stunt you all pulled. He might as well let out a bad recommendation about you and Mira in the industry. So please, you are going to this party, like it or not."

I heard the line click and I knew. If I didn't fix this for all of us right now, we'd all have our images screwed over. And I couldn't possibly do it without the most important person on the job.

I rushed inside, picked up the car keys from the hook and hastily put on my shoes. "Raghav! What about breakfast?" My mother asked from the kitchen.

"Uh mom, later. Sorry, duty calls."

"Yeah, duty calls. Bye." I could sense the sadness in her tone so I went back in, gave her a quick hug and hurried over to my car.

Revving the engine, I sped off into the distance. There was only one way to fix this. To get back the shoot, the media and most importantly all of my friends. I would have to go to Hailey's party, without question.

I run a hand through my hair. And I had to make amends with the only one who could help me.

I pulled up in front of the house and rushed up the steps. I rang the bell continuously till an irritated butler opened the door. Rushing inside, I went up to bedroom and threw open the door.

"You are helping me and I might already have a plan in place."

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A/N

Oh my goodness, you guys! Here's to sharing another year with you all on Wattpad! A very happy and blessed new year to all of you!

LOVE, HUGS AND PARTY INVITES,

RITWIKA